Naiboa's murder happened between 200-300 yards of Mitchell's house, according to Dugan.

As a result of the first two murders, Tampa police had already saturated the neighborhood. They got to the scene of the Thursday's shooting in minutes. They brought in the dogs and called in the SWAT team. However, the suspect has already gotten away.

“We instantaneously had a perimeter set up last night. I was convinced that we were going to catch this person,” Dugan said.

Dugan said law enforcement needed the public's help in finding who is responsible for the crimes.

"There's no doubt in my mind that this person is out there, and it's frustrating and it makes me angry that they're able to vanish so quickly," Dugan said.

The shootings have frightened people living and working in the area.

Just a few blocks away, at a stretch of trendy stores and restaurants along Nebraska Avenue, there is concern customers could stay away.

“People will be scared to come in,” said Marez George, who works at a local cafe. “Especially, I'm not talking about just this restaurant, the area itself. Like me, I'm scared to come around this area now,” she said.

Investigators are now checking area houses and businesses looking for security cameras that might have captured images around the time of the shootings.

Dugan described the shooter as an animal and a terrorist, but stopped short of using the words ‘serial killer’.

“We are still sifting through evidence,” he said. “We can call it what we want. If that brings attention to this, that's fine.”

Anyone with information on the crimes is asked to call the police. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Crime Stoppers are also offering an $25,000 reward for tipsters at 1(800)873-8477.

Last year, there was one murder in Seminole Heights and 14 shootings. From January through September of this year, there were no murders and five shootings.